Rug and carpet scrubbing apparatus



May 1. 1928. 1,668,255 A A c. A. SMITH, SR

I RUG AND CARPET SCRUBBING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 29. 1926' s Sheets-Sheet 1 lllllllllll INVENTOR C. A. SMITH, SR

RUG AND CARPET SCRUBB'ING APPARATUS May 1. 1928.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV 29. 1926 yz g um INVEZOQ I May 1, 1928.

C. A. SMITH, SR

RUG AND CARPET SQCRUBBING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 29. 1926 3 Sheets-Shae 3 OOOOOOOOOUOOO LEE-ii INVENTOE. 64a. J4

QTTO NEY Patented May 1, 1928.

ome sures PATENT 0mm.

cAaLos A. SMITH, SR, or BELLA IJBE, onio.

mm AND CARPET scrwnnme armaarns.

' hpplication filed November 29, 1926, Serial 1T0. l 1 51,349.

A further object is to provide a machine of the character mentioned which is shift-3 able over the floor and which, therefore, is adapted formovement relative tofrugs or carpet-s spread upon the floor while such -rugs or carpets remaiirstationarya With these and other important ob ects in viewfthe invention resides in the features of construction, arrangement of parts and combinations of elements which will hereinafter be fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of theinvention; i Figure 2 same; U

Figure 3 is a, sectional elevation, the section being taken online 3+3, Fig. 1; Figure 4 is an e'nlarged detail section. on line 4-4, Fig. Figure 5 is a section on line h 5, Fig. 2; Figure 6 is a partial section on lineti tl,

Figure 7 is an enlarged longitudinal seo tion of the spray pipe for the cleansing solution; 1 i j; Figure 8 is a. section of the same on line 8-8, Fig. 7 y y Figure 9 is a longitudinal section of the water-spraypipe; y

Figure 10 is an enlarged detail section on line 10 10, Fig. 3; i a

Figure 11 is a 11-11, Fig. 1;

Figure 12 is an enlarged horizontal section of one of the suction nozzles taken on line 12-12, Fig. "11; and a l Figure 13 is an enlarged end elevation of the carder roll or brush. a x

Referring to said drawings, 1 designates the front end, 2 the rear end, and 3, and 4 the opposite sides of a rectangular frame which is preferably formed of lengths of is a front end elevation of the broken section I on line an 4hr oppositely disposedrelatioh adja cent tojfthe ends of said sides are pairs of brackets '5 and 6 inwhich are journaled transVerse'shaftsZ'. Fixed upon said shafts between each set of brackets 5 and 6 is a 1 ifr Ri idlyearried by the sides 3 cog wheel 8 ai'ijdoneor more carriage wheels 9, the latter being designed for travel upon verticallydisposed tread members 10 formed on each of a pair of parallel track rails-1O laid upon the floor 11,. and upon which the machine is designed to travel back and forth for operating upon floorcover ings spread upon thefioor between said rails. Said rails have formed thereon, preferably between the tread members 10, a toothed rack 10 designed to be engaged by the cog wheels 8 for-propelling the machine over the trackway, 1 l Supported by the carriage frame, as by brackets 12, is a tanlilfor reservoir 13 for a cleansing solution whicl'i feeds by gravity to a suitably-located transversely arranged spray pipe 14} "which has therein one or more rows of perforations 15 through which and solution is sp ayed upon the main cleansing brushes 16,twofof the latter disposed in closely associated relation being employed in the embodimentof the invention shown in tlie drawings. Said brusheslfi are of cylindrical type andare designed to be rapidly rotated in close bearing relation to the underlying carpet for applying to the latter the cleansinglsoution and ,for exerting upon the carpet-J vigorous rotary scrubbing ac tion. I Each of said brushes is journaled upon an auxiliary frame which verticallyfshiftableso thatsaid brushes maybe elevated out of contactwith the carpet when occasion requires, as] will hereinafter be explained.

The auxiliary framementioned comprises opposite end members which are generally designated the reference numeral 17. The trunnions 16 of said brushes project throu h vertical guide slots 18 provided therefbr in the sides 3 and l: of the main frame, or in dependingarm-like portions 3} of said frame, and are journaledin said end members 17 of the auxiliary frame, as is most clearly showninliig. 5.; Also journaled in said end members 17, or depending arms 17 provided at opposite ends of the latter, aretrunniOns 19 of cylindrical rolls 19, preferably of the type commonly termed carder rolls, which are equipped peripherally with carpet-entering pins, as shown in Fig. 13,and which travel upon the carpet forward and rearward of the i cleansing brushes 16 and which are de- 7 tion of said brushes.

tached slotted bracket 24, as shown in F ig. 10.

The end members 17 of the auxiliary frame rest midway between their ends upon cams 25 which are fixed upon a transverse shaft 26 which is journaled in bearings 27 borne by the sides 3 and 4 of the main frame. A hand lever 28 fixed upon said shaft 26 is shiftable to and from the full line position thereof shown in Figs. 3 and 5 to lower and elevate the scrubbing brushes 16 and the carder rolls relative to their operative positions on the underlyin carpet, such movements of said lever producing rotation of the cams 25 for elevating and lowering the auxiliary frame. Obviously, such movements of the auxiliary frame relative tothe main frame are permitted by rea'sonof the provision of the guide slots 18 and 20 hereinbefore referred to. 7

Each of the trunnions 16 of the brushes at one side of the main frame carries a gear wheel 80 disposed in driven relation to a similar gear 29 carried b a shaft -3O which is suitably journa'led in t 1e end members 17 of the auxiliary frame, and said shafts 30 are suitably driven. as by belts 31 and 32, from the rotor shaft 33 of an electric motor 34 which is appro n'iately mounted, as upon and 39 carried, respectively, by the last mentioned shaft and the opposite shaft 30, all as shown in Fig. 1.

For propelling the carriage forward along the trackway, power is communicated to the rearmost ofthe cog-bearing shafts 7 by suitable transmission means, that hereinshown for illustrative purposes comprising a belt 40'which connects pulleys 41 and 42 carried,

respectively, by the rotor shaft 33 and a suitably located countershaft 43 journaled upon the apron 35. From said shaft the power is communicated to a shaft 44 through a suitable trainof reduction gearing desi nated generally by the numeral 45; and said shaft 44 in turn communicates the power to the rearmost of the shafts 7 through the intermediacy of a shaft-44 which is inclined downward to the latter and which has universal-joint connection at its opposite ends with the driving shaft 44 and the driven shaft 7, as shown. 7 i

The pulley 42 has its hub 42 rotatable on the countershaft 43, and provided on the outer face of said hub are forwardly inclined ratchet teeth which, in the forward rotation of said pulley, operatively engage similar teeth on the opposin face of a collar. 72 which is fixed to sai countershaft. A second pulley 73 is rotatably mounted on the countershaft 43 and is connected by a belt 74 to a pulley 75 fixed on the rotor shaft 33. The hub of said ulley 73 carries on its inner face ratchet teeti which are rearwardly inclined and which, in rearward rotation of said pulley, operatively engage similar teeth formed on the opposing face of a collar 77 which is fixed on the countershaft. Said pulleys 42 and 73 are yieldingly held in engagement with the collars 72 and 77, respectively, by an interposed com ression spring 78. It will be understood tiat when it is desired to propel the carriage forward, the rotor shaft is driven in a direction for driving the countershaft forward through the pulley 42 and when the carriage is to be reversed, the rotor shaft is reversed for driving said shaft rearward through the pulle 73. It will also be understood that the inclined teeth of the hub of pulley 73 ride freely over the teeth of the collar 77 when the countershaft is being rotated forward, and that the'teeth of thehub of pulley 42 ride over the teeth of the collar 72 when the countershaft is being driven rearward.

Therearmost of the Carder rolls 19 is herein shown as driven by a sprocket chain 46 connecting sprocket wheels 47 and 48 carried, respectively, by the said shaft 7 and a trunnion 19 of said carder roll 19, and the foremost of the carder rolls is driven by a sprocket chain 49 connecting sprocket wheels 50 and 51 carried, respectively, by the forem(l)St shaft 7 and the trunnion of said carder r0 1. v

Mounted upon the main frame of the carriage rearward of the scrubbing rolls is a perforated spray pipe 52 by means ofwhich water is sprayed upon the carpet to effect dilution of the soap solution which remains following the passage of the scrubbing brushes and also to assist in dissolving and loosening foreign matter which has not been removed by said brushes. Water may be in suitable thei supplied tosaid pi e 52 through afiexible hose (not shown) rom any sultablesource of supply. i g I i A scraper blade 53 preferably is carried by the main frame at a suitable point rear-f ward of the scrubbingbrushes, the same be ing vertically 'shiftable intoand out of opera'tive relation to the'carpet. acted upon. Said blade is movable in guideways provided guide members 54carried by the main fram a g Located rearward of the scraper blade 53 is suction means whereby water and foreign matter carried by the carpet may be taken up and conducted away, said means comprising a plurality of con1plenientallyar ranged suction nozzles 55 whichhave communication through thcretoattached flexible tubes 56 with a transversely disposed pipe 57 which is designed to be connected, vasby means of a flexible tube (not shown to a suitable source of suction, as an air pump or vacuum device (not shown). As herein shown, each suction nozzle is of flattened oblong form and has its mouth partially closed for preventing the lifting of the can pet, the closing means consisting'of a bottom end plate 55 provided with numerous perforations 55 Said nozzles are carried by a vertically shiftable member, as a slide plate 58. bolts 59 bein employed as the means of attachment. baid bolts are preferably directed through horizontal slots 60 provided therefor in said plate 58 and in which they are shiftable for adjusting the relative positions of the nozzles.

The scraper blade 53 and the slide plate 58 are supported by cams 61 and 62, respectively, which are fixed upon shafts 63 and 64 journaled on the carriage frame. Hand levers 65 and 66 fixed on said shafts 63 and 64, respectively, are provided whereby the cams may be rotated forward and back for elevating and lowering said scraper blade and said slide plate, respectively.

Each of the spray pipes 14 and 52 is provided with adjustable means whereby aportion of the length thereof may be rendered ineffective for spraying purposes, so that the spray from such pipes may be delivered only within a range required by carpets of less than the maximum width for which the mechanism is designed to operate. The means for closing off portions of said pipes 14' and ,52 comprises close-fitting pistons 67 and 68, respectively, to which are attached push-and-pull rods or chains, as 69 and 70, which extend thence outward through the open outer ends of said pipes. as shown in Figs. 7 and 9, and which may be operated by hand to effect the required shifting of said pistons.

As herein shown, the scrubbing rolls are geared to be driven at a speed considerably greater than that at which the carriage is ropelled forward; also the gearing is such that-the reverse travel ofiteh carriage is. an

relatively higher speed than the advance travel. Aswill be understood, in the rechanges maybe made in the details of construction and arrangement of some of the f rts herein shown described without parting from the spirit orscope of the invention, and,"therefore, that I am not to be understoodas limiting the invention ex.

of the. appended claims.

'- What is claimed is- ,1. 'lhe'combination with a a carriage for traveling upon cept as ma be required by the express terms trackway, of said trackway,

a rotaryf brush borne by said carriage for aoting upon a floor covering disposed be swarmed-ans of said trackway, means for lowering and raising said brush, means for supplying a cleansing solution to said brush, positively driven carder rolls for traveling upon the floor covering forward and rearward of said brush, means for propelling said carriage, and means for rotating said brush.

2. The combination with a trackway, of a carriage fortraveling upon said trackway, a

rotary brush borne by said carriage for acting upon a floor covering disposed between the rails of said trackway, means for vertically moving said brush to and from operative position, means for rotating said brush, means for supplying a cleansing solution to said brush, rotating means for holding the floor covering against longitudinal shifting movement, means for driving said rotating means at the speed of travel of the carriage, and means for propelling said carriage.

3. The combination with a floor-carried trackway, of a carriage for traveling upon said trackway, means for propelling saidcarriage, a pair of rotary brushes borne by said carriage, means for driving said brushes at speeds exceeding that of the travel "of the carriage, means for vertically moving said brushes to and from operative position relative to a stationarily disposed floor covering to be acted upon, means for supplying a cleansing solution to said brushes, rotary means for holding the floor covering against longitudinal movement under the action of said brushes, and means for driving said rotary. means at the speed of travel of the carriage. I

4. The combination with a floor-carried trackway, of a carriage for traveling upon .said trackway, means for propelling said carriage, an auxiliary frame borne by said carriage, means for elevating and lowering said auxiliary frame, rotary brushes journaled on said auxiliary frame, means for driving said brushes, and means for supplying a cleansing solution to said brushes.

5. The combination with a trackway, of a carriage for travel upon said trackway, means for propelling said carriage, rotary brushes journaled on said carriage, rolls located .forward and rear-ward of said brushes whereby a floor covering acted upon by the latter is maintained against shifting movement, means for raising and lowering said brushes and said rolls, means for supplying acleansing solution to be applied by said brushes, and suction means borne by the carriage whereby foreign matter collected upon said floor covering following the passage of said brushes is removed.

6. The combination with a trackway, of a carriage for travel upon said trackway, means for propellingsaid carriage, rotary brushesjournaled on said carriage, rolls located forward and rearward of said brushes whereby a floor covering acted upon by the latter is maintained against shifting movement, vertically yieldable means holding said rolls depressed upon said floor covering, manually operated means for elevating and lowering said brushes and said rolls with respect to the' floor covering, means for supplying a cleansing solution to be applied by said brushes, and means for removing foreign matter collected upon the floor covering following the action of the brushes.

7. In combination with a rotar' brush for scrubbing floor coverings, an means for actuating said brush, of suction means for removing matter collected upon such covering following the action of said brush, said suction means comprising a plurality of suction nozzles, a vertically shittable member supporting said nozzles, and means for adjusting the relative positions of said nozzles on said member.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

CARLOS A. SMITH, Su. 

